


Contact

by Rionaa



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mistakes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-06
Updated: 2015-06-06
Packaged: 2018-04-03 03:46:04
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,523
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4085440
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rionaa/pseuds/Rionaa
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Remus' fist connected with flesh, hard. "What," someone whispered; James, probably, since Sirius was launching himself at Remus, features hard with rage. Sirius struck him, fist connecting solidly with Remus' stomach; he fell, retching, to the ground, lungs expelling air. He rolled, springing to his feet, fighting to breathe. They watched each other warily, Sirius' nose bleeding. Remus crouched and, with a burst of speed and strength lunged at Sirius, bringing him down hard on his back, Remus straddling his waist, ready to punch again when an invisible hand grabbed his shirt, pinning them to opposite walls.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Contact

**Author's Note:**

  * For [grandilloquism](https://archiveofourown.org/users/grandilloquism/gifts).



> Inspired by a short one-shot by author grandilloquism.

Remus' fist connected with flesh, hard. "What," someone whispered; James, probably, since Sirius was launching himself at Remus, features hard with rage. Sirius struck him, fist connecting solidly with Remus' stomach; he fell, retching, to the ground, lungs expelling air. He rolled, springing to his feet, fighting to breathe. They watched each other warily, Sirius' nose bleeding. Remus crouched and, with a burst of speed and strength lunged at Sirius, bringing him down hard on his back, Remus straddling his waist, ready to punch again when an invisible hand grabbed his shirt, pinning them to opposite walls.

"What on earth do you think you're doing?" James hissed as he pulled the invisibility cloak off his head. His wand was gripped in his hand, whatever spell he had used to separate them still in effect.

"He... I... You know what he did!" Remus spluttered, clearly struggling for words in his fury, not bothering to keep his voice down.

"I didn't mean it!" Sirius practically roared back at him. 

"Silencio!" James muttered quickly as footsteps began in the distance. He released his friends from the holding spell and they dropped to the ground glaring at each other. James hastily threw the cloak over the pair of them as Filch, the new caretaker wandered past them, looking around for the source of disturbance he could not see.

Once he was gone, James turned to his friends who were crouching under the cloak and hissed "we're going back to Gryffindor tower. And you're going to talk about this." Remus and Sirius both nodded mutely and glared at him as they made their way awkwardly back to the tower under the cloak. 

Where once all four boys (including Peter) had been able to fit under the cloak with ease, now the three of them could barely conceal their lower legs as they walked, bodies pressed close together, moving slowly.

At last, the pink lady appeared before them. James muttered the password and she swung forward for them, not noticing in her half asleep state that there didn't appear to be anyone there. The three boys tumbled through the portrait hole and landed in a heap on the floor of the common room. It was after midnight, and the common room was all but deserted. Peter was sleeping on the sofa; evidently he had been waiting for his friends return.

Remus and Sirius took seats on opposite sides of the fireplace and glared at each other. James lifted the silencing charm and immediately both boys began yelling.

"How could you do that! How dare-"

"How could you even think I would deliberately-"

"Did you think? Did you stop and-"

"I didn't think he would actually-"

"He could have died!"

"If you think I care about a-"

"James! James could have died!" 

Sirius' face blanched. He looked at James, who nodded, curtly. 

"I..." He seemed to shrink as the full consequences of what he had done suddenly hit him. Peter was awake now, watching in concern.

"I'm sorry." The words were small, barely audible. Remus huffed and turned to go up to bed. Sirius watched him helplessly. Peter stood up and followed Remus up the stairs. Sirius turned to look at James. James was startled to see tears in his eyes. He sat down beside Sirius.

"I'm sorry..." Whispered Sirius again. "I didn't mean to hurt you. Or him. Or Snape." He spat the word out with such venom James thought it likely that Snape would drop dead if ever Sirius so much as looked at him again.

He looked at his best friend, unsure of what to do or say next. 

"I think..." Sirius' throat seemed to constrict, barely letting the air out to form the words, "I think I l" He sighed and let his head fall into his hands. James watched him helplessly. This was so unprecedented... With horror he saw that Sirius' shoulders had begun to shake. He was crying!

"Sirius..." He laid a tentative hand on his friend's shoulder. "Sirius, it's nearly one, you should go to bed." Sirius shook his head, angrily.

"I can't. Remus is in there. Besides, I dont think I can sleep." James nodded.

"Okay... Okay." If Sirius wasn't going to bed, then neither was he.

They sat in silence for almost half an hour. Sirius leaned his head against James' shoulder, but James didn't move. At last, Sirius' tears stopped. When James looked at him next, he was asleep.

As carefully as he could, James extracted himself from being Sirius' pillow and stood up. He looked around the deserted common room. On one of the more distant armchairs there was a think woollen blanket. James retrieved it and laid it over the sleeping form of his best friend before retreating up to their dormitory.

When he pushed open the door, he saw a sliver of light from between Remus' bed hangings. Peter was snoring, as he had expected, but evidently Remus was still awake. As quietly as he could, James crossed to his own bed and began to change into his pyjamas.

"Is he alright?" The sudden voice startled James and he fell over, one leg in his pyjama pants.

"Ouch!"

"Sorry!" Remus' head peeped through the curtains around his bed, looking anxious. James picked himself up, rubbing his head where it had made contact with his trunk.

"It's okay... He said, pulling the pyjamas over his other leg and sitting down.

"So... Is Sirius okay?" Remus had pulled back his hangings and swung his legs over the edge of the bed, mirroring James.

James sighed. "I don't know. He... He was crying.' He tried very hard to keep the accusatory note from his voice, but Remus still looked at the floor, avoiding his gaze.

"Why didn't he come upstairs?" He asked, tentatively.

"He didn't was to risk upsetting you further." It wasn't really a lie, James knew Sirius didn't want to upset Remus.

"Come to that, why did you come upstairs? I thought you'd have stayed with him."

"He's asleep." Remus nodded.

"I didn't mean to make him cry. Do you think... In the morning could you... Ahh," he lay back on his bed, his hand pressed over his forehead. "This is my fault. If I hadn't... I don't know."

"What are you on about?" James regarded himself solemnly. Remus looked up, looking scared.

"James... You won't understand. You'll hate me for it! I can't tell you. Goodnight." He swung his legs back into bed and pulled the curtains closed so hard that one of them ripped. James was now extremely concerned. He stood up and walked over to Remus' bed.

"Reparo," he muttered, pointing his wand at the ripped curtain, which sealed itself once more. "Remus, you know I could never hate you, so whatever you've done, you can tell me." There was no reply. After waiting for almost a minute, James pulled back the hangings and looked down at Remus. He was lying with his eyes closed, but the lids were squeezed so tight he could tell he was only faking. He sat down. "Remus..." At last, the other boy pushed himself upright. He looked nervous, almost more so than when James and Sirius had told him that they knew about his "furry little problem".

"I... Sirius and I... We were in a relationship." The last five words seemed to blend into one, as though he hoped James wouldn't hear. He looked at James pleadingly, as though expecting him to jump back, as though burned, shocked and unforgiving. James, however, simply looked surprised.

"Really?" Remus nodded. James frowned. "When you say 'were' and you say 'it's my own fault', do you mean you broke up with Sirius and you think he did this to get revenge?" Remus looked at James, taken aback.

"How did you... Yes... I did. Sirius was angry so he took it out on Snape... I regret it though!" He added, seeing the look on James' face. "I... I was going to apologise and ask him if he would consider... Consider trying again. I think I love him, James!" The last few words were said in a whisper. James stood up.

"Well why didn't you bloody say?" But he was grinning. "You're both idiots. Both of you are upset because both of you made mistakes. Tomorrow when you go to breakfast; he'll be asleep on the sofa, mark my words; just ask him! I know he'll say yes." Remus' eyes seemed to brighten.

"You think so?"

"Definitely." 

"I... Thank you, James." Remus' face was serious. James grinned at him.

"No problem! Seriously, if one of you'd just told me about this it would have been over sooner! I'll be having words with Sirius about not telling me this though, he's meant to tell me everything, being my best friend and all!"

"I, uh, I asked him not to tell anyone, even you." Remus looked apologetic again.

"Okay. No worries then." James yawned. "I'm going to bed. Goodnight!"

"Night."

James stood up and crossed the room to his bed, hoping that all this would be sorted by the time he woke up the next day.


End file.
